Fireheart
by Haunted Emerald Depths
Summary: Sixth year: meant to be spending time worrying about N.E.W.Ts and teen angst, right? Not for Harry. Instead he is still mourning the loss of Sirius, dealing with an odd recurring dream, and a new prophecy. Full summary inside. AU No HBP. Future DMHP slash
1. The Second Prophecy

I know I probably shouldn't be posting a new long-shot right now, what with the other one still in progress, but I couldn't help myself. I've been planning it for almost a year and had to do something with it. I'm having trouble working on the last chapter of _Decreso Aetas_at the moment anyway (yes, it will be the last chapter), so I had to use my time on something else. And here's the product.

**Title:** Fireheart

**Rating:** M (for future violence, language, and adult situations)

**Pairings:** Eventual Draco/Harry (yes, _**SLASH**_), eventual Ron/Hermione; others pending

**Disclaimer:** There is no way in any shape or form that I own Harry Potter. The credit should be given to one J.K. Rowling. The only thing I own is the plot.

**Summary:**Sixth year: meant to be spending time worrying about the N.E. and teenage angst, right? Not in Harry Potter's book. Not only is he still mourning the loss of Sirius, but now he has to worry about a recurring dream that plagues his mind every night. What is with the fire and the pain in his chest? In addition, a new prophecy comes to light. New powers and realizations result from it, both in forms he would never imagine, even in his wildest dreams. And Voldemort is becoming restless. AU (No HBP)

So here goes nothing. Please enjoy!

* * *

Fireheart

**Chapter 1:**The Second Prophecy

_Sunday, 1 September 1996_

Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was currently sitting at the desk in his office, his gaze settled on the rune-marked basin in front of him. Recalling a memory from the beginning of that summer, he prodded the silvery substance inside the basin with his wand. The substance, neither a gas nor liquid, began to circulate very quickly. Almost at once, a figure rose up out of the basin. It opened its mouth and began to speak:

"_At the time of the lunar eclipse, the power of the Fire Stone will be released. Only the being that holds enough remorse in his heart will be able to control the element of fire. That power will help vanquish the strengthening dark forces that are continually threatening to shroud our world with evil_..."

The figure, one that had taken on the form of a woman with a mass of frizzy hair and large glasses, slowly sank back into the pensieve, its hoarse, hollow voice still echoing eerily throughout the room. The headmaster placed his wand down on the desk and sighed deeply. He had an inkling of whom the prophecy could be referring to, but he was hoping that he was wrong. If his calculations were correct, the lunar eclipse wasn't for over three weeks. He'd have to wait until then to see if his suspicions will be confirmed.

A moment later, a knock brought Professor Dumbledore out of his thoughts. "Come in," he said clearly, getting to his feet. The door opened and Professor McGonagall stepped into the office.

"We should begin getting ready for the arrival of the students, Albus," she stated. She then noticed the intense, pensive look on his face. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes," the headmaster replied. "I was just thinking." He picked up the basin and placed it back into the cabinet by the door, fully aware of the questioning look that the other professor was giving him. "These are dark times, Minerva. We need all the help we can get, no matter what form it is in." He knew that the second statement would confuse her a bit, but he would elaborate later. There were many thoughts flitting through his mind, but only one stood out from the rest.

_Only time will tell_...

* * *

"I see it!" Ron exclaimed. He drew back from the carriage window, from which he could now see the looming silhouette of the castle, and settled in his seat next to Hermione. A smile spread across their faces as they looked at the building, which they have come to know and love over the past five years. However, by glancing at their raven-haired companion, they could see that he didn't appear to be sharing their joy. He appeared to be looking at the castle, but his emerald eyes seemed to be a bit unfocused and a confused expression was on his face.

"We're here, Harry," Hermione said in a somewhat louder voice than normal, attempting to bring him back from whatever he was thinking about. It worked. His eyes focused and eventually registered the sight of the castle, a small smile appearing on his face.

"It's about time," he muttered, just as the carriage was coming to a halt in front of the steps. They exited and joined the mass of students making their way up the stairs and into Hogwarts.

"How I wish my father had sent me to Durmstrang," a sneering voice drawled loudly from behind them. The trio glanced back and saw Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle just a few paces back, smirking at them. "I would no longer have to set eyes on pathetic, worthless filth such as this again."

"Why, you sodding little -" Ron began as he lunged for Draco. Harry and Hermione immediately seized the back of Ron's robes to prevent him from starting a fight in the middle of the entrance hall.

"It's the first night back, Ron!" Hermione hissed vehemently as she and Harry attempted to keep a hold on the struggling boy. "Keep your temper in check! You'll end up getting a detention before classes even start!"

"I don't care!" he growled. He renewed his attempts to break free of his two friends' grips. "If I could just...slam my fist into...that arrogant..." His sentence couldn't even be finished due to the fact that he was breathing so hard.

"What's the matter, Weasley?" Draco taunted. "Not even strong enough to take on your two friends? You're as pathetic as they are. I mean, come _on_. One is a weak little Mudblood and the other is an orphan whose parents died just so they could be rid of him."

That did it. Harry froze at the last remark, his blood boiling. He let go of Ron just as the redhead made another attempt to dive at the Slytherin. The sudden lack of resistance caught him and Hermione unawares, sending them both sprawling to the floor. Harry ignored them as he strode over to Draco and grabbed the other boy by the neck of his robes.

"Where the hell do you get off saying those things, Malfoy?" he growled. "Are you just using the insults to cover up the fact that no one actually cares about you and that you're starving for attention?" Harry felt a vindictive pleasure when Draco's pale face took on a pinkish tint. He steeled himself, knowing that would earn him a punch in the face. Sure enough, the Slytherin pulled his arm back, that same vengefulness reflected in his gray eyes.

"Just _what _is going on here?"

Draco froze at the sharp voice, his fist inches from Harry's face. Professor McGonagall stood at the foot of the stairs leading up to the higher floors. Her narrowed eyes swept from Ron and Hermione, who quickly got to their feet, to Harry and Draco. Harry released his grip on Draco's robes and Draco let his arm drop to his side. The two stepped back from each other after exchanging a quick contemptuous glance.

"Must you two fight every time you set eyes on one another? This is getting out of control." The professor stalked over to them, her mouth set in a grim line. "I'll let this go with a warning seeing as how this is a fresh year. If I or one of the other professors catch wind of you two confronting each other like this again, you'll be in detention faster than you can blink. Am I making myself clear?" She received nods in reply. "Good. Now get yourselves into the Great Hall. The Sorting is about to begin." She then turned on her heel and walked toward the front doors, no doubt getting ready to bring in the first years.

With one last glare, Draco roughly shoved past Harry and went into the Great Hall, Crabbe and Goyle not too far behind. More insults immediately sprang to Harry's mind as he watched the blond go, but he bit his lip to hold them back, instead giving in to the persistent tugging on his sleeve and followed Hermione and Ron to the Gryffindor table.

"You two must be out of your minds!" Hermione growled as she sat opposite of the other two. "Honestly! It's as if I am taking care of two young children who don't know how to behave properly. No offense, of course," she added. Harry could detect somewhat of a sarcastic undertone in her voice.

"None taken," Ron replied irascibly, obviously taking her words as an affront nonetheless. Hermione ignored him and ploughed on.

"As prefects, we are supposed to _prevent_fights, Ron, not become _involved_in them!" she growled. "Have you taken leave of your senses? No, don't answer that. I'd rather not -"

Harry tuned out what was sure to turn into his friends' bickering. He was too accustomed to their constant sniping. Over the past year or so, it has become almost an everyday occurrence. He was just hoping that this would be one of their more ephemeral disputes.

As he waited for either his friends to end their argument or for the feast to begin, Harry studied the table before him. As dull as it was, it prevented him from seeking out a certain Slytherin and getting his blood pressure rising again. Even the mere thought of him made a bit of anger flare up in Harry's chest. In order to get rid of it, he followed a dark vein in the wood along the table, a bored expression almost immediately making its way onto his face.

Harry was eventually brought out of his reverie by a hard nudge in the ribs from Ron. He looked up agitatedly, ready to demand what that was about, but then he noticed that the Sorting was starting. Instead he held his tongue and rubbed the offended area, glaring at nothing in particular as the Sorting Hat began to sing.

After the hat finished, Harry couldn't help but notice that even though the words were different, the song held the same message as last year's: come together as one joined force or fall apart and be conquered by evil. It was obvious that Hermione realized this as well; her eyebrows were knitted together, and she appeared to be thinking the same thing he was, although she wouldn't voice it out loud. There wasn't much of a chance for all of them to join together and keep the darkness at bay because there were some who were very much against the idea. Harry's eyes flickered over to the Slytherin table. A good number of them were smirking, scoffing, or a combination of the two. He felt a small rush of anger as he looked away, feeling that they would be what would bring them down in this war. His prejudice against them would not waver; his stubbornness wouldn't allow it.

Harry was brought out of his musings by the first name being called by Professor McGonagall. He watched as the person, a small, brown-haired girl, made her way up to the stool in front of the teachers' table. She took a seat with an air of confidence and waited patiently for Professor McGonagall to place the hat on her head. It only took a second or so before "RAVENCLAW!" was shouted for everyone in the hall to hear. She scuttled off to the table next to the Gryffindors'.

The remainder of the Sorting went by fairly quick, despite the fact that there were a good number of first years. As Professor McGonagall took the hat and stool away, Dumbledore stood. "I would like to welcome you all to a brand new year at Hogwarts. Now, before I make the start-of-term announcements, I would like you to take part in this delicious feast."

Many of the students muttered appreciatively as the dishes in front of them filled with any kind of food imaginable. His stomach rumbling incessantly, Harry reached for all of his favorites. Ron had already managed to clear half of his mountain of food by the time Harry had taken his first bite. Hermione, whose fork was poised in midair, was eyeing him disgustedly. "Ron, must you make a pig out of yourself during every feast? Honestly! You act like you're never fed at home!" Ron had the decency to turn red at her remark. He even managed to slow his pace somewhat. Harry just rolled his eyes, doing his best to hold back a chuckle on his redheaded friend's behalf.

After the remnants of the meal disappeared from everyone's plates, Professor Dumbledore stood once more to address them. Harry tuned out the first part about the forest being forbidden and a number of objects not allowed in the school. What snagged his attention, however, was the announcement of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Harry looked up at the teachers' table, looking for the new face. When he saw the person, he nearly choked.

"_Lupin?_"he muttered incredulously, swinging around to look at his friends. "But I thought -"

"Maybe Dumbledore had such a hard time finding another replacement and had to persuade the Ministry to appoint him the position again," Hermione offered. She looked just as surprised as he did. That look was soon replaced with a worried one, however. "I can't help but think about what he'll go through this year. I'm sure he is going to catch a lot of grief from parents because of what he is. You see? This is the kind of prejudice that gets in the way of us helping one another to defeat Voldemort." She banged her fist on the table, causing the plates and goblets to rattle. Harry had the decency to look away, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and guilt. He couldn't deny the truth in her words.

"With all of that being said, I would now like you all to make your way to your respective dormitories," Professor Dumbledore called out. "You want to be fresh and sharp for your morning classes. Goodnight." He waved them all off with a large smile. Harry, Ron, and Hermione hesitated a moment, trying to catch Remus' eye. It took them only a moment. He sent them a small smile and a wave before they were forced to join the swelling throng of students making their way into the entrance hall.

"He doesn't seem to be doing so well, does he?" Ron muttered, briefly looking over his shoulder. He was right. The three of them shared a worried glance. Remus was looking even more haggard than the last time they saw him. His ragged clothes seemed to be hanging more loosely off of him and his hair was as grizzled as ever, making the man seem far beyond his years.

"Well, after what happened last year -" Hermione began hesitantly but cut herself off after seeing the look on Harry's face, but what she meant to say was clear. It was obvious that the loss of Sirius was still greatly affecting him. It was very difficult tiptoeing around the subject all the time. There was going to be one day in the near future where it was going to be brought out into the open whether they liked it or not.

The three Gryffindors traipsed to their tower in a slightly awkward silence, which was broken by Hermione offering the Fat Lady the password. The three of them entered the common room, which was somewhat loud due to all of the catching-up that was going on between the students.

"I think I'm just going to go up to bed," Harry told Ron and Hermione. "I'm beat. Plus, if we have Snape first thing in the morning..." He trailed off, although what he implied was clear; no one wanted to irritate Snape with lateness or inattentiveness in the morning. His two friends nodded in agreement.

"I'm with you, mate," Ron replied with a yawn, stretching languidly. "I ate so much, I feel like I could sleep for a week." He rubbed his overly full stomach with a small groan. Hermione made to roll her eyes, but a chuckle escaped her lips instead. The atmosphere immediately became less tense.

"Well, at the rate you sleep already, I wouldn't be that surprised," she muttered. Ron looked as if he wanted to stick his tongue out, but he seemed to think better of it. This only drew another laugh from Hermione.

"Goodnight, you two," she said before sauntering toward the staircase that led up to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron made their way to their own dormitory situated at the top of the second staircase. Ron immediately fell facedown onto his neatly made bed.

"I am so knackered," he mumbled, his words barely distinguishable. He rolled over and threw an arm over his eyes, heaving a huge yawn. "I don't even feel like getting into pajamas."

"Then don't eat so much next time," Harry retorted, throwing his robes at his friend. "It's as simple as that." Ron muttered incoherently in response as he got sluggishly to his feet and rummaged in his trunk. In a matter of moments the two of them were changed and comfortably in bed. Another moment more and Ron was snoring loudly. Harry turned over and drew his hangings closed, though it did little to block out the noise. He was surely just as tired as Ron, but he wasn't looking forward to falling asleep. He knew what it would mean, and he wasn't keen on it happening again. But he was weighed down with fatigue, so going to sleep right now was unavoidable.

Sure enough, within seconds, Harry's breathing evened out and he began snoring gently.

_Fire was everywhere, consuming everything in its path as it rushed toward him. Harry made to run away, but his feet were held fast to the ground. There was no chance of him escaping it. He needed help, but no one else was around._

"_Sirius!"_

_His voice echoed eerily, repeating the name over and over again. Harry had called out without thinking. He knew his godfather wouldn't be able to help him. This thought brought a pain into the center of his chest, right around his heart. Guilt washed over him from head to toe. It was his entire fault Sirius couldn't come and help him. It was his fault he was gone._

_The fire was now a great deal closer. The flames circled around him, drawing nearer all the while. Harry was beginning to feel the intense heat. He tried his best to wrench his feet from the ground, but it was as if someone had cast a Permanent Sticking Charm on them. He was beginning to sweat profusely now, reds, oranges, and yellows dancing before his eyes. He began yelling, feeling sure he was about to be burned alive at any moment, but no one was coming. He was forced to give up as the strong waves of heat rolled over him, the pain in his chest growing worse with each erratic beat of his heart..._

Harry's eyes snapped open. He sat up quickly in his bed, his breath coming out in short gasps. Feeling disoriented, he ran a shaking hand across his sweaty forehead. He punched his pillow agitatedly, growling low in his throat. He knew it. He knew he would have this dream again sooner or later.

Over the summer, Harry began having this recurring dream. At first he thought nothing of it; his mind and heart were in turmoil after the nightmare at the Ministry. But then he began having it over and over; at first it was sporadic, but then it became an almost daily occurrence. Harry was becoming fed up. He had no idea what this dream and the lingering pain in his chest were supposed to mean. He foolishly wished he had paid more attention during the dream interpretation lessons in Divination.

With a low groan, Harry kicked his blanket off and drew open his hangings. The bright morning sun dazzled his eyes as he reached for his glasses and stood to head for the bathroom. He wanted nothing more than to take a cold shower to wash away the remaining perspiration from his heated skin and to numb that persistent pain in his chest.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Harry returned to the dormitory, feeling much better. He was putting on his socks when his other dorm mates began stirring. There were mumbled greetings and much stumbling about as they got ready. Harry went over to Ron's bed and shook him awake. The redhead was extremely reluctant to get out of bed, but with some persuasion (or rather a reminder that Snape may be the first teacher of the day), he was up and dressed. The two of them then made their way down to the common room, where Hermione was waiting, already immersed in _Standard Book of Spells (Grade 6)_.

"Did you both sleep well?" she asked, putting the book aside. Ron merely yawned while Harry nodded in response, not trusting himself to speak at the moment. It wasn't that he was lying; he just didn't want to have any reason to bring the dream up right now.

"That's good." She looked down at her watch. "If we leave now, we'll have twenty minutes to eat breakfast." The trio then made their way toward the portrait hole.

"You know, I'm beginning to get this feeling of foreboding," Harry said as portrait closed behind them. "I just have this feeling that we are really not going to enjoy our first class."

* * *

"Bloody hell," Ron groaned, his timetable slipping from his hand. "How can fate be so cruel as to make us have double Potions on the first morning?" Harry merely chuckled into his plate of eggs.

"I told you so," he taunted, earning himself a light smack on the head.

"Shut up, you," Hermione said. "You just got lucky. Well, technically you didn't." She then turned her attention to Ron, trying to make sure he didn't drown in his misery. "Let's just go. If we get there early enough, Snape will have no reason to yell at us." She stood and tugged at Ron's robes to get him to do the same. The redhead looked longingly at his half-finished plate of food, but he consented all the same. He, Harry, and Hermione left the Great Hall and made their way down to the dungeons.

When they reached the dungeon, a small number of students were there. Since this was an N.E.W.T. Potions course, the number of people would be more limited. The three Gryffindors took their seats at a table in the back well away from the teacher's desk. Snape wasn't in the room at the moment, surprisingly enough.

"How the hell did you two manage to get into this class?"

Harry looked up to see Draco facing him and Ron from his seat in the front. He had a highly disgusted look on his face.

"It's no surprise that the bucktoothed, brainy wonder managed to score a high O.W.L., but you two?" The blond scoffed. "What, did you have to cheat your way in? Or did you just use your undeserved title?" His gray eyes moved over to settle directly on Harry as the last words left his mouth. Harry knew he was just being provoked into fighting, but he wasn't going to rise to the Slytherin's bait. It was pointless. _Don't retaliate_, he thought to himself. _Don't say anything. Don't _-

"You know that, don't you Potter?" Harry brought his attention back to the other boy, despite his better judgment. "You don't deserve it. 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' my ass. All of this 'Chosen One' business is a bunch of nonsense. You were lucky. You should have died like all the others when that curse hit you, just like your useless parents."

_Don't_, Harry continued telling himself, though his fists were clenched tightly and he couldn't stop himself from shaking in anger. _This is what he wants_. _He just wants to get back at you because you landed his father in Azkaban._

"What's wrong, Scarhead?" Draco drawled. A smirk played across his lips as he took in the way his words were getting under his rival's skin. "Just realizing that you're not special after all? Just coming to the conclusion that you have no purpose in life, that it was all just a hoax? You're as special as Weasley's pathetic, poverty-stricken family. Maybe you'll lead them into another pointless battle against the Dark Lord and will be responsible for even more innocent deaths, including your own. God knows it would be much better without the whole lot of you."

After Draco's last words, a couple of things happened in very quick succession. Harry and Ron both sprang from their seats, knocking them down in the process; Hermione and a couple of the other girls in the room shrieked in fright; Draco sprawled out on the floor after Harry's fist collided with his face.

"Take that back, you sadistic bastard," Harry hissed. He was so mad he could barely see straight. All he could hear was his own labored breathing and his blood rushing in his ears.

"Stop!"

The whole class jumped at the voice. Snape strode into the classroom and slammed the door behind him, his face set in a very dark scowl. His black eyes traveled from Harry to Ron, who now had their wands aimed at Draco, who was still lying on the floor.

"Class hasn't even started and we're already on his bad side," Ron muttered out of the corner of his mouth, his arm falling to his side.

"I will be seeing the headmaster about this," the professor hissed. "Now get back to your seats!" They didn't need telling twice. Hermione glared at them as they returned to their table.

"And Potter, Weasley?" Snape added as he turned to write on the board. The two boys raised their eyes hesitantly to look to the front of the room. "Detention for three weeks starting next Monday."

The silence of the room was broken by two groans and a loud thud as two heads hit the table simultaneously.

* * *

**To be continued...**


	2. A Prophecy Fulfilled

I just had to continue with this fic for now. I'm becoming more and more confident in it the more I work on it. Also, I've had the end of this chapter planned for almost two years, and I really wanted to work up to it. So here is chapter two.

**Title:** Fireheart

**Rating:** M (for future violence, language, and adult situations)

**Pairings:** Eventual Draco/Harry (yes, _**SLASH**_), eventual Ron/Hermione; others pending

**Disclaimer:** There is no way in any shape or form that I own Harry Potter. The credit should be given to one J.K. Rowling. The only thing I own is the plot.

* * *

"_And Potter, Weasley?" Snape added as he turned to write on the board. The two boys raised their eyes hesitantly to look to the front of the room. "Detention for three weeks starting next Monday."_

_The silence of the room was broken by two groans and a loud thud as two heads hit the table simultaneously._

* * *

Fireheart

**Chapter 2: **A Prophecy Fulfilled

"I cannot believe this," Harry hissed, slamming his cauldron down onto the desk with unnecessary force. "Snape is such a git. We didn't actually hex Malfoy or anything. I only punched him, but that doesn't deserve such a punishment. If the slimy prat had walked in on Malfoy disemboweling the two of us with a potion ladle, he wouldn't have given him three weeks detention. In fact, he probably would have stood there and cheered him on." Ron snorted in amusement, though his face was distorted into somewhat of a grimace that came as a result of Harry's descriptiveness.

"I'll go get the ingredients for the potion," he muttered before slipping away toward the students' potion store cupboard. He was only in there for a moment before there was a loud crash from within that caused half the class to jump in fright. A yell of rage immediately followed.

"Weasley! Just what the _devil_ do you think you are _doing_?" Snape was standing in the doorway to the store cupboard, his face twisted in fury. Harry turned away from his professor's direction, not wanting to look at him any longer; his anger toward the man would only increase. However, a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked toward the front of the classroom.

Draco was putting his wand back into his robes. He was facing the store cupboard with a smirk on his face, looking immensely pleased with himself. Harry's teeth ground together when he realized what must have happened. He gripped the edge of his desk in front of him so hard that the aged wood splintered a little beneath his fingernails. The stomping of feet, however, brought him from his plotting of a way to get Malfoy and Snape shipped off to Antarctica, as well as signaled Ron's arrival.

"This is utter madness!" Ron ground out after falling into his seat. Harry looked up, only to see that his friend was covered in various potion ingredients. "I don't know what happened! I was reaching for what we needed when all of a sudden all of the shelves collapsed, sending ingredients everywhere. And now we'll have to replenish his stock during some of our detentions. That means being stuck in the Forbidden Forest for hours on end, in the dark." He shuddered at the thought, but his expression remained angry. "And what happened to your hands?" he added, his eyes now on Harry's hands, which had just released their death grip on the desk.

"It's nothing," Harry muttered, hiding his bleeding fingers from sight. "I was just being stupid. And it was Malfoy that got you into trouble." He spat out the name as if trying to get rid of a disgusting taste, his gaze sliding in the blond boy's direction for a moment. Draco was now putting on a face of innocence. He was taking diligent notes and paying rapt attention to the professor, who was going over the properties of the potion they were meant to be working on, which happened to be Veritaserum. Leave it to Snape to set a difficult assignment on the very first day of the year.

"Of course!" Ron hissed. He moved his chair back as if to get up, but Harry stopped him. The last thing they needed was an additional punishment from Snape. Ron seemed to realize this as he slumped back into his chair, but his anger didn't abate.

"Snape's also making us take a failing grade for this assignment. Most of the ingredients were ruined, so there was almost nothing left to use. We have to write an essay on it instead. And because hardly anything is left, that means lectures for every class until there's enough to make potions again. I'm sure he could get them himself, but no. He has to make things more difficult for everyone. What I wouldn't give to..." Ron trailed off, pounding his fist onto the table and made a grinding motion. Harry snickered appreciatively, picturing doing just that to Snape's greasy head.

"It's a pity that we're not able to make the potion," he muttered. "It would have been interesting to see the outcome of putting it into both Snape's and Malfoy's goblets and doing some extensive questi-"

"Potter! Weasley! _Pay attention!_"

* * *

Almost as soon as Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the Potions classroom, they were stopped by a fourth year Ravenclaw. She handed Harry a roll of parchment addressed to him and Ron.

"It's from Dumbledore," he stated after unrolling it. "He would like us to meet him in his office after our next class. Snape must have taken no time in informing him about what happened."

"You can't say that you don't deserve what you got because -"

"Please drop it, Hermione," Ron grumbled, hitching his bag onto his shoulder. "We're going to get all the admonishing we need from Dumbledore. We don't need you to lecture us too." The three of them made their way down the crowded corridor.

"Well, let's hope Professor Dumbledore will knock some sense into those thick heads of yours," Hermione retorted, giving each of them a hard prod in the back of their skulls. "I'll be sure to prepare a nice long lecture that neither of you will forget just in case."

"Don't worry, Hermione," Harry said, taking in her stern expression. It was times like this when she greatly reminded him of Mrs. Weasley. "Dumbledore has a way with persuading people, even when he's not trying. I'm sure that when we return from his office, we'll both be entirely sorry for what we did and we will never want to misbehave ever again." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Let's just get to Charms," she sighed, shaking her head as she walked ahead of her chuckling companions. "I want to see what Professor Flitwick has planned for his N.E.W.T. curriculum." It was now the other two's turn to roll their eyes as the three of them swept up the staircase to the entrance hall.

"That was a very interesting lesson," Hermione said happily at the end of the class. "That Rain Charm seems very useful, especially during a dry period. It's a good way to keep plants from dying, even if the charm only covers a small area. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Speak for yourself," Ron mumbled, wringing out his wet robes, Harry doing likewise. Hermione heaved an irritated sigh, drew her wand, and did a complicated wave. Warm air emerged from the tip, causing their robes to steam and eventually dry.

"Well, if you and Harry had paid attention, you both wouldn't have done the wrong wand movements, thus drenching yourselves," she retorted, one hand placed on her hip, the other still holding her wand toward them.

"Thank you for pointing that out, Hermione, but we should head off," Harry said. "We shouldn't keep Dumbledore waiting." Hermione merely glared at him and stalked away. Harry then proceeded to grab Ron by the neck of his robes and drag him in the direction of the headmaster's office.

Once the two of them appeared in front of the gargoyle, Harry gave it the password Dumbledore had given him in the note. The gargoyle moved aside to reveal a spiraling set of steps, which both of them took up to the large oak door that led into the circular office.

"Come in," a deep voice rang out after Harry knocked. He opened the door and slipped inside, Ron right behind him. Professor Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, glancing at them with his hands folded on top of a pile of parchment. "Please, sit down," he said, motioning toward the two chairs in front of him before getting to his feet. The two Gryffindors did as they were told, looking somewhat apprehensive.

"Professor Snape has informed me of what happened this morning before your Potions lesson," the headmaster began, "and I must say that I am disappointed in the both of you. This is not the time to keep such strong animosity going; I am sure you are aware of what the Sorting hat sang to us last night. This is a time where we must come together and help each other stop Voldemort from gaining more power and conquering us all. Now, can one of you tell me exactly what happened?"

As the last word left Dumbledore's mouth, Ron opened his mouth immediately. Harry stomped on his foot as discretely as he could with Dumbledore standing right in front of them. He didn't want Ron saying anything stupid or something that could get them into further trouble.

"It started with Malfoy throwing us the usual insults," Harry stated. "He said that I didn't deserve my title as the Boy-Who-Lived, the usual rubbish." _And I feel that I must agree with him there sometimes_, he added to himself. "But that wasn't what really provoked us, sir. It was when he insulted Ron's family and said that he hoped I would lead them and myself into a pointless battle where we would all be killed. That was when Ron and I jumped out of our seats. I punched Malfoy, and we both drew our wands on him. That was when Professor Snape came into the classroom."

Harry then paused, casting around for something to placate a teacher who may be prepared to further discipline them for their wrongdoing, something that Hermione would say. "I feel that we were all at fault, professor. Malfoy should have kept his thoughts to himself, and Ron and I shouldn't have allowed him to get to us. It seems obvious that everyone is still...feeling the effects of what happened at the end of last term."

"Yes, I understand," Professor Dumbledore muttered quietly after a moment of silence. He glanced at Harry briefly over the rims of his glasses before taking a seat and clearing his throat. "I will tell you this, though; I feel that Professor Snape was right in giving you detention. It will allow you to see that what you did is not the answer in this kind of situation. I will still speak to Mr. Malfoy about this. I feel that he too should come to realize that now is not the time to behave this way toward other students. Everyone should come to this conclusion. And I'll let you two in on a little secret, if only just to show you how serious this is," he added, leaning forward in his chair, gazing at them intently, his blue eyes now twinkling. "This year the teachers and I are planning new and exciting ways to get the students together to create bonds between the houses. And that is all I'll be saying for now. You two may head off to lunch now. Just remember what I told you about unneeded conflicts."

"Yes, professor," Harry replied as he and Ron stood, both of them looking somewhat dumbstruck at the abrupt end of the conversation. They walked past a few tables and shelves of complicated, whirring trinkets and a dozing Fawkes on his perch on their way to the door.

"I was really hoping that he would lift the punishment, but I can see why he wants us to go through with it," Harry said as he and Ron made their way down the steps and toward the Great Hall. "I don't know how easy it will be to unite the houses; McGonagall going on a date with the giant squid seems more likely at the moment. But maybe Malfoy will finally get what's coming to him."

"Yeah," Ron replied, snickering heartily. "But what do you reckon Dumbledore meant about the teachers planning ways to get everyone to unite?"

"I don't know," Harry replied with a shrug. "Let's just hope it's not some mass academic project." They both shuddered at the thought. "But I bet Hermione would enjoy that." Ron grinned and shook his head.

As they continued on to lunch, both boys came up with additional ideas about what the headmaster was hinting about, each becoming more and more outrageous. The last one involved pairing up two students, each from different houses, and throwing one into the lake and seeing if the other would save them from drowning.

"Okay, how about this one?" Ron said. "Crabbe and Zacharias Smith."

"That's a hard one, on account of both of their heads are so large, though one literally and the other figuratively," Harry replied with a smirk. "Both seem likely to sink before the other can manage to get into the water, if they even try, that is." This sent the two of them into fits of laughter.

"What has you two looking so chipper?" Hermione questioned when they sat down at the table, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you sure you went to see Dumbledore? Neither of you are looking very contrite..."

When Harry was able to compose himself, he told her about their visit. He explained how Dumbledore said he was disappointed in he and Ron and how he explained about unity. Harry had to ensure her that they were sorry for what they did (even though he wasn't nearly as sorry as he should be), but she seemed skeptical all the same. But when he got to the part about the teachers planning something, her expression changed to one of interest.

"That's a good idea," she muttered. "I'm sure they'll figure out a good way to get people to work together. What do you suppose it is?"

At her question, Harry then launched into what he and Ron came up with. By the time he reached the bit about the lake, Ron was laughing again, and Hermione had placed a hand disbelievingly over her eyes; however, she giggled all the same.

"The way your minds work scares me sometimes," she choked out, wiping away her tears of mirth. Harry and Ron looked unabashed as they dug in to the food.

* * *

The next few weeks passed by in a blur for Harry, even with his detentions, great amounts of homework, and the first Quidditch practices of the year. Harry was glad that his ban was lifted when Umbridge left; this year would be much better with him being able to play again. He and Ron were very grateful for having Hermione as a friend; whenever they were running short on time for work, she would find it in her heart to assist them.

Whenever they could, the three friends would go visit Remus in his office or remain after class for a bit to talk to him. Harry felt more of a bond with him, seeing as how they shared a huge loss in their lives. Even though Harry was sure Lupin wouldn't want him to, the Gryffindor felt sympathy for the man. He was the only true Marauder left. When they could, they would avoid the incident that happened at the Ministry, but it still came up every once in a while. The result was reopened wounds that were reluctant to be healed. Harry still felt responsible for his Godfather's death; he felt that it was his gullibility that brought Sirius to the Ministry. All the same, Harry vowed to visit Remus more often, thinking that if they sat and talked about it, the weight would lift from them and they could move on freely.

Lessons steadily became a little more difficult as the days passed. Professor McGonagall had them do a short unit on human transfiguration. This was one of the most interesting, albeit hard, units they've done so far. Harry and Ron broke out in fits of laughter every time someone brought up Seamus' partial transformation. It was hilarious indeed to see him with rabbit ears poking through his sandy hair and fine white fur covering his face. It was still being debated, though, whether or not he had a puffy tail as well; Seamus refused to answer the question. But aside from this, lessons remained mostly the same as before.

The morning of the 26th of September dawned bright with just a hint of autumn in the air. Harry and Ron woke as the sun shined brightly through the window by Neville's bed. They stretched languidly, immediately uttering twin groans of discomfort.

"Snape is an evil sod," Ron hissed through his clenched teeth. "My muscles have been aching ever since that first detention. I hate doing manual labor."

"I know," Harry replied. "I pulled muscles I forgot I had last night. Those cauldrons must have weighed about the same as a hippogriff." A flicker of pain crossed his face as he rubbed his shoulder. "But the good thing is that after tonight, we will only have two more detentions left."

"That's if we survive until morning," Ron muttered darkly, glaring out the window at the dark trees swaying in the distance. "We're in the forest tonight. We have to collect some of those damned potion ingredients."

"The other times we went in there for him weren't that bad," Harry pointed out. Then he paused for a moment. "Well, those were during the day, but I don't see why they should be all that different. We just have to get the rest of the ingredients, some of which have to be gathered at night. But we can be glad that Dumbledore got the centaurs to join his side again, though. That man sure can persuade, can't he?" Ron nodded at this, but he didn't look all that comforted. Harry patted his friend on the shoulder in passing as he headed to the bathroom.

As he was preparing for his shower, Harry's mind wandered from tonight's detention. He instead dwelled on how he felt when he woke up this morning. Aside from the muscle pain, he also had the sensation one usually felt when they had horrible sunburn, except he felt it all over rather than in a specific area. He had had the fire dream again last night. He's been having it every night now for a week. However, this was the worst yet; the sensations were more intense than ever. He was forced to think about the corridor dreams from last year, which led him to think about Voldemort. He wouldn't be sending these dreams to Harry, would he? Voldemort couldn't be. These dreams didn't make him wake up with his scar searing in pain. It was just the rest of his body that was affected.

"I must be losing my mind," Harry muttered to himself as he stepped underneath the cold water. He then figured it must be true because he could have sworn he could see steam actually rising off of his skin where the cold water touched it.

Minutes later, Harry was leaving the dormitory with Ron, all thoughts about the dream banished from his mind as they discussed what they would be doing that day. They met Hermione in the common room, and the three of them went down to breakfast.

"I swear," Hermione muttered half way through the meal. "All you boys think about is Quidditch." She looked somewhat irritated, having not been able to concentrate on her Charms reading while the two boys across from her conversed loudly about tactics.

"Well, with Harry as captain and me as Keeper and part of the team, shouldn't we be trying to figure out ways to outdo other teams?" Ron questioned indignantly. "Besides," he added as Hermione scoffed, "that's not all we think about, right Harry?" He nudged his daydreaming friend in the ribs.

"Sorry," Harry muttered, pulling himself from his thoughts of flying his Firebolt later that day. "What else do we think about?"

"Girls!" Ron answered with a grin. He then let loose a peal of laughter as he thumped Harry on the back.

"Of course," Harry said with a slight smile as he straightened his glasses. "It's so painfully obvious that I didn't even think of that." In truth, though, he hadn't been thinking all that much about them. Ever since last year with Cho... Harry shuddered. He wasn't keen on having something like that happen again anytime soon.

"If you two are finished," Hermione cut in, looking annoyed at their childish antics, "we can go outside now. It's a nice day and it shouldn't be wasted." She stood up from her seat and swept toward the door. Harry and Ron looked at each other with a shrug before getting up to follow her.

As they reached the entrance hall, Harry was shunted roughly to the side. He looked to his right and saw that Draco and some other Slytherins had left the Great Hall as well. Draco looked back over his shoulder as his group moved toward the dungeons and leered at Harry. Before he even realized what he was doing, Harry plunged his hand into his robes for his wand and aimed it at Draco with a muttered jinx. The blond immediately tripped over thin air and sprawled on the stone floor. A few other students that were leaving the Hall chuckled at the sight.

"Potter..." Draco growled warningly, his face pink as he got to his feet. But before he could retaliate, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had already made their way out the double doors and onto the grounds.

"Why did you do that, Harry?" Hermione hissed under her breath as they walked across the lawns toward the Quidditch pitch. "You could have made things worse for yourself! What if a teacher had seen?"

"But no one else saw it except for a couple of other students," Harry replied with a shrug. "And since they were Ravenclaws, I doubt they had any problems with me using the Trip Jinx on Malfoy. But doing it made me feel better than I have in days. Doesn't that count? It was almost like seeing the ferret bounce again." Ron snorted in amusement at this, but he immediately fell silent when Hermione gave him an extremely dirty look.

"This is the problem Dumbledore keeps reminding us about, isn't it?" she snapped. "You keep attacking each other, not caring that Voldemort is mobilizing his army just outside these walls! It's just a petty rivalry that you two have going with Malfoy. There are more important things for you to be worrying about!"

"We know that, Hermione!" Harry said, an affronted look on his face. "It's just -"

"But you don't like Malfoy either, Hermione," Ron interjected, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Of course I don't! Who in their right mind would like a snotty, antagonizing git such as him? But working together doesn't exactly mean that you have to like each other!" she cried, stomping her foot irritably. "Besides, my dislike for him is different than yours. I, unlike you, have never attacked him, either physically or with magic."

"Yes you did," Ron continued. "There was that time in third -"

"That was one time!" Hermione growled. "I had a perfectly good reason to. He was insulting Hagrid, one of our dearest friends, and..." She cut herself off with a shake of her head. "Never mind, I give up. I'll see you two in a couple of hours. Hopefully you will have matured by then." With that she turned around and stalked back toward the castle, tears of frustration in her eyes.

"She'll come back around," Ron said after a moment of stunned silence as they watched their friend disappear through the doors. "Once she gets her nose stuck in a good book she'll cool off, right?"

Harry opened his mouth to tell Ron what he was thinking, but he closed it immediately; he didn't want to start a fight with him by telling Ron that it was his fault for angering Hermione further. He felt a surge of guilt, knowing it was his, Harry's, fault in the first place because he jinxed Draco, but Ron had unhinged his tongue and worsened the situation.

"Let's just go," Harry said, taking out his wand again. "_Accio_ Firebolt!" he cried, waving it in the air. Next to him, Ron did the same thing. A moment later, Harry's Firebolt was soaring though the air toward him, alongside Ron's Cleansweep. Harry ran over and launched himself onto his broom before it was even at waist level. He soared up into the air, Ron not too far behind him.

Once up in the sky, Harry felt more free than he had in weeks. Sure, he had Quidditch practices, but that was different. He was still concentrating when it came to the game, sometimes becoming frustrated when things didn't go right. But now he was able to clear his mind as he circled the empty pitch, the cool breeze caressing his cheeks. Now all he needed was a way to relieve himself of his pent up energy and emotions.

"Hey!" Harry called out to Ron, who was swerving around the goal posts at the other end of the field. "Let's see who can get over the lake and back the fastest! Loser has to buy the winner a whole pack of Chocolate Frogs on the first Hogsmeade day!"

"That was great!" Ron exclaimed as they entered the Gryffindor common room after dinner. They didn't have much time to talk during the meal, on account of them both overindulging and having their mouths full the entire time. "You're really getting good at doing the Wronski Feint, Harry. Maybe you can use it on Malfoy during the next Gryffindor versus Slytherin game; with our luck he'd be unconscious for a month." He said the last bit under his breath with a sidelong glance at Hermione. He and Harry had apologized profusely after returning from their flight, and now she was on speaking terms with them again. It would be unwise to make such a comment in her range of hearing after just smoothing things over.

"Yeah," Harry replied with a grin. "That would be great, huh? But don't you forget; you still owe me a box of Chocolate Frogs since I won that race."

"I know," Ron muttered with a roll of his eyes. He mumbled something undistinguishable under his breath as they went up to the dormitory to put their brooms away, but Harry was pretty sure he caught 'Firebolt' and 'better broom.'

"I have a better idea," Harry said as they gathered their cloaks and dragon hide gloves and made their way back down the steps. "We can split the price. That's more fair, don't you think?" Ron became more cheerful after that.

"Be careful, you two," Hermione said from her table as they walked toward the portrait hole. "I know Hagrid is going to be standing guard nearby in case something happens, but I can't help feel a little jittery."

"We'll be fine, Hermione," Harry said consolingly. "We've been in the forest loads of times. I doubt anything will go wrong. Anyway, Hagrid is more than capable of pulling us out of a tight spot if something does happen. And we'll have our wands."

"Well, okay," she replied. "Maybe I'll see you two later, then. I might be in the Astronomy tower when you get back."

"Why would she be in the Astronomy tower?" Ron asked as they left the common room and proceeded down the corridor. Harry couldn't help but notice that his voice had an underlying suspiciousness to it. "She isn't meeting someone -"

"No, Ron," Harry replied. "Professor Sinistra told our class that anyone who wanted to use the telescopes to watch the lunar eclipse could do so. Remember?" Realization dawned on his friend's freckled face.

"Yeah, I do now," he replied, now looking a little awkward about jumping to such crazy conclusions. "Too bad we won't be able to go, though. But at least we will be able to see it from outside, right?" Harry merely shrugged noncommittally.

When they finally reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid was already waiting for them. He explained how he would be standing at the edge of the trees, keeping watch over them as they looked around for potion ingredients.

"An' if either one o' yeh gets inter a spot o' trouble an' the other's not around ter help, jus' fire up sparks inter the air," he added as Harry and Ron put on their gloves and made their way into the forest.

"You don't suppose anything _will_happen, do you?" Ron asked quietly as they trampled through underbrush, leaving Hagrid behind.

"Let's just hope not," Harry replied as he took his wand from his pocket. "_Lumos!_"He took out the list Snape had given them and looked it over. A good amount of things were already crossed off. "Let's start with the easier stuff. Maybe time will go by a little faster." Ron nodded in agreement, but his face was set into a wary expression.

In a span of twenty minutes, the two of them had stumbled upon asphodel, ginger, and a couple pieces of boomslang skin. It seemed like they were starting off pretty well. Harry felt more assured of this when he saw something glittering in the moonlight at the base of a yew tree.

"Ron, look!" he hissed. The redhead looked up from the multiple leafy plants he was examining and made his way over. "I found some moonstone." He picked up a couple of the iridescent stones, eyeing the slightly bluish glow it was giving off before placing it into his cloak pocket.

"Nice one," Ron said as he crossed the ingredient off of the list. "Now all we have to find is -" He cut himself off as the patch of moonlight they were standing in grew a bit dimmer. "What -" He then looked up at the sky. "Oh. Hey, look. The eclipse is starting. I can see - Harry?" Ron's eyes had shifted from the sky to his friend after he heard Harry let out a pained gasp. He saw the other boy doubled over in pain, clutching his chest. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Harry replied. "Let's just keep going. We only have a few more items to find." Ron agreed, but he was still looking worriedly at his friend. Harry stood up straight with some difficulty and began the search once more.

In truth, Harry didn't feel fine at all. Out of nowhere, a hot pain had flared up in his chest. It was the pain he usually felt after having those fire dreams. He never experienced it at any other time during the day other than after waking up. And this time it felt a bit different. Other than being more intense than before, he felt something else. It seemed like a...pulling sensation. But it was weak.

_I must be imagining things_, Harry thought to himself as he shook his head to clear it of thought. He tried to focus more on what he was looking for instead.

"The moon's about half covered now," Ron said after a small amount of time passed. Harry bit his lip to keep from crying out. He could no longer ignore the feeling in his chest; it was becoming worse with each passing moment. He felt as if someone had thrown a lasso around his heart and was determined to pull it out of his chest.

"This is pretty cool," Ron muttered, his eyes still on the sky above him. "Have you seen -" He closed his mouth and slowly turned around. Apparently he had heard what Harry just did; the crack of a stick and the rustle of underbrush could be heard nearby.

"Harry..." Ron hissed, his face paling drastically as he groped for the other boy's arm. He peered through the trees, his lit wand held aloft. Something glittered at them from behind a bush; it was a pair of eyes.

"Let's get out of here," Harry whispered. He took a step backwards, his wand at the ready. Ron hastened to follow. The creature crept forward, coming their way, growling low in its throat.

"Run!" Ron groaned under his breath. He tugged at Harry's arm, and they began hurrying away from where they saw the eyes. However, they soon heard the creature lumbering after them. Ron gulped and hastened his pace. "What do you suppose it is?"

"I don't know," Harry replied, doing his best to keep up. He held his wand out with one hand, the other massaging his aching chest. In their panic, they both forgot about what Hagrid had told them. "All I know is it's not a werewolf; the moon isn't full." Still, that did little to appease them; they still had no idea what was after them. "And it's obviously fast," he added as the sound of the feet grew nearer. He glanced back quickly and aimed his wand over his shoulder. "_Impedimenta!_"

The sound of pounding feet stopped. But neither one of the boys slowed down; they didn't know how long the jinx would hold on the beast, whatever it may be. They continued running through the trees.

After a few minutes, Ron began pulling ahead of Harry. Harry felt as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He reached out to grasp Ron's cloak sleeve, intent on asking him to help him do something about the pain, but it was just out of his reach. And just as he opened his mouth to call out to the other boy, his foot caught on something under the fallen leaves. Harry fell to the ground, a hiss of pain escaping his lips when he made contact with it. He stayed there for a moment, his teeth clenched. When he looked up again, Ron was gone. A surge of uneasiness passed through Harry. Didn't his friend hear him fall? He guessed that he hadn't; maybe the noise of Ron's own pounding feet prevented him from hearing it.

With a hiss of pain, Harry unsteadily got to his feet. He glanced around briefly before turning up his collar against the chilly breeze and setting on. His mind began wandering as traveled on. The pulling in his chest grew stronger with every step. His feet seemed to be taking him somewhere of their own accord. He just wished he knew what was happening to him. Is it anything serious? Should he get help? And where was Ron? Is he okay?

Harry's self-questioning ceased when he realized he had stopped walking. He looked around; he was standing near an ancient tree, one that stood much taller than the others around it. As he was looking up, trying to see just how high it went, his gaze fell on the small sliver of moon that was left. The eclipse was almost halfway through.

His feet began moving again, the pulling in his chest even stronger now. It was as if he was literally following his heart; Harry might have found that somewhat funny if his mind weren't so foggy. He stopped again when he was right in front of the tree. It was then that he noticed a small knothole in the thick trunk. On an impulse that Harry was not sure was his own, he reached inside. In the back of his mind, Harry realized that this may not be wise, but his body seemed to be under the control of some other force; it was almost as if he were a puppet.

In the back of the knothole, Harry's hand came in contact with something. He wrapped his fingers around it and withdrew his hand. In the last of the moonlight, the Gryffindor saw that it was a rough stone of some kind. He found nothing extraordinary about it as he turned it over in his palm. Then the moonlight was gone.

As the moon became completely covered in shadow, Harry doubled over again. A new wave of pain flared up in his chest, the intensity increased tenfold. He was completely oblivious to the stone in his clenched hand changing, the rough edges chipping off to reveal something completely different underneath. The Gryffindor cried out in agony and surprise when a bright light suddenly ensconced him. In a panic, Harry realized that it was fire. But instead of it burning his skin, he felt as if magma was racing through his veins. He yelled again as the intense heat and pain he felt all over his body converged in his chest.

_I'm dying_, Harry thought hazily. He was vaguely aware of a figure crashing through the trees nearby and his name being called.

Then darkness took over as he collapsed to the ground.

* * *

**To be continued...**


	3. Fireheart

Okay, it's been a little while since my last update, but life is a constant bother. Job, finishing up school, graduation, preparing for college, all that crap.

So enough rambling. Here's the next chapter. I did my best to make sense toward the end of this part. I completely made up the bit about the elements and the Wizarding race. I apologize if it is confusing. Please bear with me.

**Disclaimer:** There is no way in any shape or form that I own Harry Potter. The credit should be given to one J.K. Rowling. The only thing I own is the plot.

- - -

I'm dying, _Harry thought hazily . He was vaguely aware of a figure crashing through the trees nearby and his name being called._

_Then darkness took over as he collapsed to the ground._

- - -

Fireheart

**Chapter 3: **Fireheart

- - -

"Is he going to be okay? How long has he been like this?"

"He's going to be all right, Miss Granger. He has been asleep for about twelve hours, but his vitals are all steady."

The voices brought Harry slowly to consciousness. A wave of fatigue washed over him; it seemed as if he had been asleep for only an hour or so. But twelve? He also felt very warm, much more than normal, as if he were running a high fever. What happened? Where was he? Intent on having these questions answered, Harry slowly cracked opened his eyelids.

Bright light pierced his eyes, causing them to water. He groaned out loud and reached up to rub his now aching head. Two blurry figures that were standing near his bed (which he had no recollection of lying down in) spun around to look at him.

"Harry!" one of them squealed before enveloping him in a loose hug. The figure then leaned over toward the nightstand by the bed. His glasses were placed on his face a second later, and Hermione came into focus. She stood back and looked down at him with an almost sad smile, wringing her hands nervously. He opened his mouth to question her current behavior, but he suddenly noticed his surroundings.

Harry was in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was standing at the foot of his bed with a couple of empty potion vials in her hands. She looked at him with a critical eye, as if he were about to suddenly develop some kind of illness, before bustling off. Confusion webbed its way through his foggy mind.

"What's going on?" he asked in a somewhat raspy voice, looking between the departing nurse and Hermione. "Why am I here? What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Hermione asked, now looking a little more worried. "Well...I'm not exactly sure of all the details myself. I think you should ask Ron that question. He was the one that found you."

_Found me? _Harry thought. He cast a pained look at Hermione, who was looking back at him sympathetically. She then motioned toward something behind her. Harry looked around her and saw Ron dozing in a chair. Hermione walked over and gently shook the redhead's shoulder. His eyelids fluttered open, and he looked up at the girl, his blue eyes bleary.

"Harry's awake," she said quietly, nodding toward said boy. Ron suddenly looked more alert as he saw Harry watching him. The redhead got to his feet, walked over, and kneeled next to the bed.

"How're you doing, mate?" Ron asked. He continued before Harry could answer. Taking in the raven-haired boy's befuddled expression, he asked, "I'm guessing that you don't know what happened?" He received a nod in reply, telling him that his guess was correct. "Well, I'm not sure about most of it myself." Ron then hesitated, thinking how he should go about this. "Do you recall being in the Forbidden Forest for Snape's detention last night?" Harry's face screwed up in intense concentration as he tried to think through the fog in his mind. Then he nodded again. "What about being chased by some kind of creature? Don't ask me what it was, though, because I have no idea myself." Harry strained his mind again. This time images revealed themselves to him. A pair of eyes shining through a bush...Him and Ron running through the trees, trying to get away...

"Was that what --?"

"No, that's not what put you in this condition," Ron interjected. "It was a little after that. While we were still running, we got separated. When I realized this, I doubled back, hoping to catch up with you. Then, after a few minutes of having no luck, I heard you yell. There was then a bright flash of light. It sounded as if you were being attacked. I followed your voice to a small clearing. What I saw was horrifying." He paused for a moment and ran a shaking hand through his hair.

"I thought you were dying. You were surrounded by fire and screaming as loud as your lungs would allow it. Then without warning, you collapsed to the ground and became still, and the fire disappeared. Fearing that we were too far in the forest for Hagrid to see them, I shot sparks into the air. Luckily, though, he came barreling through the trees moments later, and we brought you here. Dumbledore arrived not much later. He asked me to tell him what happened, and then he asked me to tell you that he would like you to see him in his office when you are able to. He left after that."

"Maybe he'll know what's going on," Hermione said, taking a seat at the end of the bed. "If he doesn't, I'm sure he could easily figure it out." Ron nodded at this.

"There is something else as well, though," he said. He pointed to the table next to the bed. "Madam Pomfrey found that clenched in your hand. We don't know why, but she wasn't able to remove it manually. She had to use magic to extract it." Harry sat up slowly and looked over.

Lying on the table next to a glass of water was what looked like a highly polished amber rock. It glittered brightly in the morning sun shining through the window next to the table. Harry reached for it and turned it around, looking at it from different angles. Every so often he would see a glimmer of yellow, orange, a deeper red, or even a shade of blue. Due to the coloration and the odd shape, it looked almost like a lick of flame.

"Why would I have something like this?" Harry asked, confusion evident in his voice. More memories slowly trickled through his mind. He grabbed on to one that seemed as if it would be of some help. "I remember holding some kind of stone, but it was rough and had no shape." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Could it have changed while whatever it was that had happened?" _Why, though? _he added to himself.

"Maybe Dumbledore can sort it all out," Hermione offered.

"I hope so," Harry replied with a groan. He fell back onto his pillows with a frustrated sigh. He then suddenly gasped as a flare of pain erupted in his chest.

"Be careful, Mr. Potter!" Madam Pomfrey said suddenly, walking up the ward toward his bed. "Don't overexert yourself." In her hands were the two new vials of potion. She set one down before uncorking the other, which was filled with a pale yellow liquid. It was apparently used to relieve pain; his chest felt better instantly after he drank it, and he no longer felt as achy. The nurse then reached for the other vial, this one containing a sky blue potion. Harry gagged on the contents, not because of the taste but rather the biting coldness of it. She then glanced at her watch, apparently waiting for the amount of time the last potion was meant to take effect. When fifteen seconds elapsed, she placed a hand lightly on his forehead.

"Still no change," Madam Pomfrey said worriedly. "That potion is the strongest we have. I just don't understand it." She then cast a few check-up charms before walking back down the ward toward her office, muttering quietly all the while.

"'Still no change?' What was that supposed to mean?" Harry questioned.

"She's been trying to bring down your high temperature ever since you were brought in here," Hermione replied with a sigh. "She was telling me, just before you woke up, that she's been trying various potions and spells at regular intervals, but it doesn't seem to want to go down."

"I don't think I'm sick, though," Harry mumbled, sinking down under his covers. "I don't feel like it, anyway. I just feel warmer than normal. It doesn't feel all that much like a fever." His two friends just looked back at him helplessly, neither having any other opinions to offer him.

"Well Mr. Potter, it seems as if you are well enough to go," Madam Pomfrey said, appearing suddenly by his bed; Harry jumped with surprise, having not heard her coming due to his being in such deep thought. "The headmaster told me it is alright for you to go and see him in his office now." She looked as if she was passing this message along much against her will. Apparently she didn't think he was in good enough condition for him to be released. "Just be sure to come back later. I will give you some potions to take back to your dormitory. I would gather them now, but the headmaster seems rather intent on you getting there as soon as possible." She then shooed the three of them toward the doors. "Just be careful. And you two," Ron and Hermione looked around at her, "please keep a close eye on him." They nodded and she closed the door.

"This is all beginning to creep me out," Harry mumbled quietly as they started down the corridor toward the staircase. "Everything seems to involve fire. First my dreams, then what happened last night..." He trailed off when he saw the looks on his friends' faces.

"Dreams?" Hermione echoed. "What kind of dreams? How come you haven't told us?" A somewhat guilty look crossed over Harry's face. He began explaining the dream and the effects of it before she could question him any further.

"I didn't think they were anything important, really," he explained. "I just thought they were a product of my conscience. It wouldn't be surprising after what happened at the -- you know..." Harry trailed off, not really wanting to bring up the topic. Hermione seemed to realize this and steered them away from it.

"But if you were waking up with pain in your chest and feeling really warm...That doesn't really seem normal, Harry," she said. "You should have gone to Dumbledore or Madam Pomfrey. Now that I think about it, whatever happened last night appears to be linked to the dream somehow because the pain in your chest is worse and your body temperature won't go down." Harry nodded at this. He understood what she was saying. Ron, however, didn't say a word; he just listened to the conversation, unsure of what to say.

"Like you said, though, Dumbledore may be able to tell me something about this," Harry pointed out as they traversed the last staircase to the second floor and made their way toward the gargoyle that guarded the office. "I'll tell you what he wanted to talk to me about, and anything he says about last night, okay?" The other two nodded before heading back down the corridor toward the stairs that would take them up to the seventh floor. Harry then turned toward the gargoyle and said the password. He went up the revolving staircase and entered the office.

"Good morning, Harry," the headmaster offered as a greeting when he saw the Gryffindor. Harry muttered a reply before taking a seat in front of the desk.

"You wanted to see me about something, professor?" he asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied, leaning forward and resting his head on his hand. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened last night. Do you think you could describe it in detail for me?"

For a moment, Harry looked dumbstruck. He wasn't expecting this to be what Dumbledore wanted to talk to him about. He had thought that the headmaster would be telling him more about the teachers' plans, or just about how he, Harry, was feeling. He thought that he would have had to bring up the subject himself in order to get the information.

"I -- well," Harry began, still feeling a little caught off guard. He wasn't sure how to begin. "I'm not sure of all the details, sir, but I'll do my best to describe what happened." The boy heaved a sigh before telling the story. Dumbledore didn't interrupt once; he just sat there, listening intently. Harry finished, feeling a little self-conscious under the man's gaze; he was still in his clothes from the day before, which were now rumpled and slightly dirty.

"I see," the man muttered, sitting back in his chair. "May I see this stone?" Harry reached into his pocket and dropped the stone into the headmaster's open palm. He turned it over and inspected it, just as Harry had done.

"What do you think this is all supposed to mean, professor?" Harry asked. The headmaster gave the stone back and looked at him in silence for a moment.

"I guess I should start from the beginning," he finally began. "Over the summer, I --"

He was cut off by knocking at the door. The door then opened, and Severus Snape sidled into the office.

"I received your message, headmaster," he said. Then his eyes fell on Harry. A faint sneer appeared on his face. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. Should I just wait outside then until you wish to see me?"

"Yes, thank you," Dumbledore replied. "I will call for you shortly." The other man left and the door fell shut. The headmaster then continued what he was saying before Snape's arrival as if there was no interruption.

"As I was saying, over the summer I had the fortune to stumble upon Professor Trelawney once again while she was experiencing the fullest extent of her powers. She made her third prophecy."

Harry suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and a sense of foreboding came over him. He didn't know where this was going just yet, but he had a feeling that he would not enjoy what the man was going to tell him.

"Rather than trying to explain what she foresaw, I will show you." Dumbledore got to his feet and strode over to the cabinet where the Pensieve was kept. He extracted the bowl from it and brought it over to his desk. Harry watched as the substance within swirled, a silver-white glow playing over his face. The man then took out his wand and touched the substance with its tip. Then, just like at the end of last term, a figure rose up and a harsh voice rang out. Harry listened to the voice closely, making sure he didn't miss a word. When the image of Professor Trelawney sunk back into the basin, he narrowed his eyes in confusion before moving them up to focus on Dumbledore's face.

"Sir?" he muttered when the headmaster didn't start explaining right away. His voice seemed to bring the man out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, Harry," Dumbledore replied when he became focused. He moved the Pensieve aside and looked at Harry over the rims of his glasses.

"Now, I am sure that you understood the part in the very beginning, and a bit of the end as well. The lunar eclipse was just the time the magic was released. And I'm sure you know from Astronomy that a lunar eclipse is when very strong magic can occur. The middle of the prophecy, however, is somewhat vague. I am sure that it was describing a person who is feeling responsible for something that went wrong in their past. This guilt may help the individual yield the power mentioned."

An uncomfortable feeling stirred in Harry's chest at these words. Images flashed through his mind: a veil fluttering in a nonexistent breeze, a surprised look on Sirius' face as he... _No, I will not go there_. He schooled his features and focused on the man before him once again.

"Do you know much about the four elements, Harry?" the headmaster questioned. The Gryffindor shook his head. His mind was still in overdrive, therefore rendering him speechless for the time being. "I will not fill you in on those. I would rather you look them up yourself. That is one of the best ways to learn what the Fire Stone is."

"Sir," Harry began after finally finding his voice and coming to terms with the fact that Dumbledore was implying that he was whom the prophecy was about, "did you know that this prophecy was referring to me? Why didn't you tell me?" He couldn't help but to put this question out there. He hated being left in the dark about anything.

"I did not know that it was you it was referring to, Harry," Dumbledore replied. "But because of the time period it was given in, just after the Ministry incident and seeing how it affected you, I had my suspicions. Also, were you not chosen, though unknowingly at the time, to defeat Voldemort?" Harry just merely looked at him. Some things seemed to be clicking into place, but that didn't make him feel any better about this.

"But wasn't the last prophecy enough?" he questioned. "Didn't that already explain a power that would help rid of Voldemort?"

"I am afraid I was mistaken about that, Harry," the man answered. "I was thinking about that earlier this morning. It didn't seem very likely that the power Voldemort wouldn't know about is love. Surely he would realize that you are capable of caring for other people. I have a feeling that the power it referred to would be the one gained due to this recent prophecy. It seems as if the previous prophecy gave a small foreshadow to this one. Does that make sense?" Harry nodded.

"I really do have a new power then?" he asked. The last thing he needed was yet another burden on his shoulders.

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "It is already taking effect on your body, if what Madam Pomfrey had to say about your body temperature is anything to go by. And while we are on the topic of this power -- Severus!"

Harry jumped at the sudden shout. He then heard footsteps making their way up the stairs, and the door opened once again. Snape strode in and stood next to the desk.

"It is obvious that you will have to be taught how to use it properly," Dumbledore continued. "Fire can be uncontrollable at times and can have devastating effects. That is where Professor Snape comes in."

Harry's jaw fell open. Was this man insane? "But sir! I don't think -- Don't you remember last year? Those Occlumency lessons were a nightmare! Surely this will be --" The Gryffindor fell silent at the look on the headmaster's face. He gripped the edges of his seat.

"I remember all too well, Harry," he said. "I would do it myself, but that is not possible. Professor Snape is the only one who was trained in the art of physical combat, and that sort of fighting is what you will need in order to use this power."

Harry felt that he didn't have to ask where Snape had learned the art. If he was the only one who was trained, and if he was the only one who had once worked with the Dark Lord... Well, then it was pretty obvious.

"Did you tell him about the --?" He sent a pointed look in the Pensieve's direction. His anger rose. If Snape knew about this prophecy... How did they truly know that he was on their side? Harry refused to trust him.

"No, Harry," Dumbledore replied. "I only told him that you needed to be taught how to control this new power. That is all I mentioned." The Gryffindor could now detect a hint of warning in the man's voice. It was as if he knew where Harry's trail of thought was headed. Harry ignored the warning all the same.

"But how can you trust him? How do you know he wasn't listening to what we were tal--"

"_Harry_." Now he sounded mad. "Time and time again we have gone over this. I have my reasons for trusting Professor Snape. Now enough of this. There are more important things to discuss."

"Besides, Potter, the headmaster is a better Legilimens than I," Snape muttered with a sneer. "If he had any doubt, I would open my mind to him, just to prove you wrong."

"I still don't trust you," Harry spat with a glare.

"The feeling's mutual."

"I don't believe that you're not a Death Eater anymore."

The moment the words left Harry's lips, he knew he had gone too far.

"That's enough!" Dumbledore shouted, getting to his feet. "Mr. Potter, we will continue this discussion later, after you learn to show some respect. You may leave my office."

"Gladly." After sending a sneer in the Potion teacher's direction, Harry got to his feet and stalked out of the office, slamming the door shut on his way out. Many of the portraits of former headmasters and headmistresses rattled, causing the occupants to grumble agitatedly.

"That boy rattles my nerves like no other student," Snape mumbled, rubbing his temples.

"He just has a very burdensome life," Dumbledore offered as an explanation for Harry's behavior. He wished he hadn't lost his temper with the Gryffindor, but it couldn't be helped. "But I wish he would keep a reign on that tongue of his. Speaking so rashly only gets him into more trouble."

"However, maybe the training you were speaking of will help him have control not only over his power, but his temper as well. If he doesn't rid himself of it, we're all in danger." His eyes were set on the chair Harry had vacated only moments before. As if drawn there, Dumbledore's gaze followed.

On the edges of the chair, where Harry had gripped it in his anger, were two areas of blackened wood in the shapes of handprints, both smoking gently.

- - -

"Harry! Surely this could wait! I have to get back to --"

Hermione shut her mouth at the look Harry threw over his shoulder at her. He looked positively livid. What had made him this angry was beyond her, however. She just kept her thoughts to herself as they raced down corridors and staircases, finally coming to a stop in front of the library. Hermione leaned against one of the doors, clutching at her chest, while Harry impatiently waited for her to catch her breath. Then they went through the doors.

"What is it that you need my help finding?" Hermione asked as they wandered between shelves full of books of varying thickness and states of shabbiness.

"I'm not sure exactly," Harry confessed, pausing and choosing a book at random. He flipped through it briefly before discarding it, a dark look on his face.

"So you interrupted my studying for a pointless escapade to the library?" Hermione hissed, now beginning to feel angry herself.

"I never said it was pointless!" Harry snapped. He received a few shushing sounds from nearby students, but with one smoldering glare sent in their direction, they fell silent. "It's actually very important."

"Wait," Hermione muttered, something dawning on her. "Does this have anything to do with what Dumbledore had to tell you?" She received a nod in reply. "Well why didn't you say so? What did he say?"

"He was very vague about the whole thing," Harry replied. "I'll tell you the full story when Ron is here too. I left a message with Ginny for him to meet us here when he gets back from lunch. But I can tell you now that Dumbledore wanted me to research something to help me understand what he told me."

"What was it?"

"Have you ever heard of a Fire Stone?" he questioned. He sounded almost desperate.

"I can't really say that I have," Hermione replied hesitantly. She didn't want to let him down. He obviously needed to find this information. She racked her brain to see if anything that vaguely fit the title of Fire Stone stirred in her memory, but she got nothing. "Are you sure he didn't mention anything else that could be a clue?"

Harry turned his gaze toward the sky outside the window they were now standing next to. His eyes unfocused slightly as he thought back. "He did, actually," he said after a moment. The boy turned back to look at his friend. "He said something about four elements. What are they?"

Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief. She was so glad he finally said something that was familiar to her that she was going to bypass the reprimand he should get for never paying attention in History of Magic...for now. He could have gotten all he needed to know about the elements from that class in their fifth year. That course wasn't all about just goblin rebellions and giant wars, like many students believed.

"Water, fire, earth, and air," Hermione replied. She refrained from showing her disbelief that he didn't know what they were. "They are the four elements. They are an ancient form of magic that was used millennia ago. Elemental magic is actually what started the entire Wizarding race." At this statement, Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, if you only opened a book, or at least paid attention in class..." Hermione closed her eyes, her face set in a pained expression. "This primitive magic was actually discovered by accident. A man was meditating by a river, calming both his mind and spirit. It is claimed that he was swaying rhythmically when he noticed a strange pattern in the water before him. It was moving with him in the same backward and forward motion, despite the current. And that calmness he felt is important.

"Each element has specific characteristics and is associated with specific Zodiac signs. I'm sure you at least know what the Zodiac is?" Harry nodded. "Okay. You are a Leo, which happens to be one of the signs for fire." Harry nodded again. "As I was saying, though, water is associated with healing and calmness of the conscience. The man was healing his spirit and mind in a calm manner. This allowed him to unknowingly harness the power of the element of water. This led to many different experiments. It took a great amount of trial and error to figure out what other elements would allow such a thing to happen again. It was finally figured out that personalities and Zodiac traits influence who will be able to control an element. But not everyone was able to fit to one. That is why there are some who can't do magic as of today. Magic eventually evolved into different forms after new mediums were found; that is why wands are used. Someone discovered that the use of certain types of wood and a bit of a magical creature would allow for a more accurate way to channel magic. But the four elements are what started it all. They are why there are different types of magic, such as healing and physical magic. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I think so," Harry mumbled with a brief shake of his head. His mind was jumbled. It was clear that he really would have to do some research on his own if he was to understand all of this.

"Hey, did I miss anything?"

Both Harry and Hermione jumped. Neither of them heard another person approaching. They turned to see Ron standing beside them.

"Just a long-winded lecture on elemental magic," Harry replied with a sigh. "But I'm glad you made it. I need all the help I can get." Ron looked at him with a confused expression. "Oh, sorry. I guess I should explain since both of you are here now. Dumbledore just told me that there is a new prophecy." He ignored the shocked looks on his friends' faces. "It said something about the power of the Fire Stone being released at the time of a lunar eclipse, and only a person feeling remorse can control that power. He wants me to find out about this stone and this power, which is supposed to help defeat evil." He reached into his pocket. "This must be the Fire Stone." He held the stone up to the light, casting an amber light onto the bookshelf next to them.

"Wait a second," Ron muttered, a look of intense concentration on his freckled face. "You have a new power that will help kill You-Know-Who?"

"It seems so," Harry answered. "Dumbledore said that's why my body temperature is so high. Rather than controlling an element outside my body, it's as if it's on the inside. The stone must have channeled it somehow. And the pain in my chest must have to do with the remorse I feel." A dark look flashed over Harry's face. He knew he shouldn't feel remorse for what happened last year, but he couldn't help it. "Now come on," he said after a moment of tense silence. "I want to find out what this all means." He turned away from the window and led them toward the section on ancient magic.

-­ - -

"There's got to be _something_ in one of these books," Hermione muttered a couple of hours later. She rubbed her eyes, which were bleary after poring over old, faded books with tiny print. Ron gave an unintelligible response and leaned backward in his seat. A low snore escaped his lips. Harry reached around a stack of books he previously discarded and prodded him awake.

"I'm sorry," the redhead mumbled, trying in vain to stifle a yawn. "This is just so boring. It doesn't seem like we're going to find anything on this Fire Stone."

"Thanks for sharing your optimism, Ron," Hermione grumbled. She went back to perusing her book, which was titled _The Four Elements: Light in the Shadows over the Centuries_. She handled the brittle, yellowing parchment with care, losing heart in what she was doing with every turn of the page. But just as she was about to deem it useless, a phrase caught her eye. Hermione read on, her heart rate increasing in excitement. She then let out a tiny shriek; Harry's book fell to the floor with a loud thud and Ron slipped off his chair in surprise. "I found something!" she whispered excitedly. Harry jumped out of his chair, knocked it over, and almost tripped over his fallen book in his haste to get to Hermione's side. Madam Pince shushed them from behind her desk, waving her feather duster in a threatening manner.

"What? What is it?" Harry urged.

"Well, it's not about the Fire Stone specifically, but look at this," Hermione replied. She pointed to a spot in the middle of the page. Harry read it in whisper over her shoulder.

_Many centuries ago, three ancient Seers foretold of four beings who will each harness the power of one of the Four Elements; the Air Mage, the Earth Chanter, the Water Charmer, and the Fireheart. Their use of these powers will aide in the defeat of the evil of their time._

_These powers are gained by handling one of the four Stones, which work the opposite way of the ancient elemental magic by drawing it into the body (_"Ha! I was right!" "Harry, keep reading!"_). The Stones were formed where there was a high concentration of magical energy of a specific element._

"How do you suppose this one was formed?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," Hermione replied. "Where exactly did you find it?"

"In the knothole of a very old tree. It was in a small clearing somewhat deep in the forest."

Hermione was quiet for a moment as she thought. "Maybe there was a bad fire many, many years ago. If the trees around that old one are a good deal younger, then maybe they were all lost, but this one was spared somehow. The forest holds a large number of magical creatures, so maybe their magical energy was lingering in that area, and the elemental force fused with that energy to form the Stone. The trees would've grown back over time due to the magic, and everything would thrive again. But that's just a theory. We'll never know what really happened. But it was convenient that it was so close to where you were, Harry. I don't know what would have happened if it were somewhere else. Maybe someone else would have gained the power." Harry and Ron merely looked at her, their mouths hanging open. She heaved a sigh. "Harry, would you like to continue reading?" The raven-haired boy nodded slowly before clearing his throat.

_As of the year 1896, only three of the four Stones have been discovered: the Air Stone, the Earth Stone, and the Water Stone. It is predicted that the Fire Stone will be found around the year 1996 -- it appears that the findings are within spans of 100 years._

_With every Stone, the user has had a specific peculiarity. The Air Mage could not sneeze without creating a tornado. The Earth Chanter could not laugh without causing an earthquake. The Water Charmer could not weep without creating new rivers. The Fireheart's peculiarity, if he or she will have one, is unknown, but it has been predicted that it will be either dangerous or sensual._

Ron laughed at this. "No offense, mate, but I can't imagine you being sensual. " Harry smacked him in the side of his head before continuing.

_Each of the first three chosen ones has been marked in some way, as proof of their elemental power._

Harry turned the page and was met with three different images. The first one was two wavy lines that were parallel to one another, which signified air. The second was what appeared to be a teardrop shape, which was water. The third was a diamond, which portrayed earth. The book stated that each image appeared on a different part of the body for each of the three, depending on where the focal point of their magical energy was at.

"I wonder where mine is at," Harry muttered aloud. He looked closely at his hands and arms but saw nothing. Hermione was looking at him thoughtfully.

"Harry, lift up your shirt," she said suddenly. Harry stared at her.

"What?"

The girl merely rolled her eyes. "Well, for water, the mark is on the forehead, since it deals with the conscience. The mind is the focal point for water. Your element deals with emotions. And it's Fire_heart_. I'm wondering if it's on your chest." Harry turned red, but he nodded in understanding. He stood up and walked behind a bookcase that would conceal him from the rest of the library. Ron and Hermione followed curiously. After making sure no one was looking, Harry gripped the hem of his shirt and lifted it. Hermione nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Look for yourself," she said. Harry looked down. His eyes widened when he saw his chest.

Right over his sternum, in the middle of his chest, was his mark. It was only a few inches length wise, but it was the clarity of it that stunned him. The yellows, oranges, reds, and dashes of blue were so clear that the image looked real, despite the fact that it wasn't moving. Harry let his shirt fall.

"Well, that leaves no doubt," Hermione said quietly. "You're the Fireheart."

- - -

Please review! Please?

To be continued...


	4. Enlightenment

Hello, everyone. Yes, it has been a LOOOONG time since I posted anything. I went forever without having a muse.

Well guess what? It's baaa-aaack. I've been working on other chapters as well, but this is the first one I've completed thus far.

I apologize for this chapter being mainly filler; the next one will be MUCH more interesting. I hope you stick with me. Hehe. All the same, please enjoy.

**Title:** Fireheart

**Rating:** M (for future violence, language, and adult situations)

**Pairings:** Eventual Draco/Harry (yes, _**SLASH**_), eventual Ron/Hermione; others pending

**Disclaimer:** There is no way in any shape or form that I own Harry Potter. The credit should be given to one J.K. Rowling. The only thing I own is the plot.

- - -

Fireheart

**Chapter 4: **Enlightenment

- - -

_Right over his sternum, in the middle of his chest, was his mark. It was only a few inches length wise, but it was the clarity of it that stunned him. The yellows, oranges, reds, and dashes of blue were so clear that the image looked real, despite the fact that it wasn't moving. Harry let his shirt fall._

"_Well, that leaves no doubt," Hermione said quietly. "You're the Fireheart."_

- - -

"I just can't believe this," Harry mumbled as they left the library, his tone clearly showing his skepticism of the whole ordeal. After seeing his mark, Harry hurried over to Madam Pince's desk to check out the book. He would definitely need it to understand his element better.

"Neither can I," Ron said. He cast a sympathetic look at Harry. "This is the last thing you need, mate. It's just another burden on your shoulders."

"Tell me about it," the raven-haired boy grumbled as he shifted the heavy book's weight underneath his arm. "And having this new power isn't the worst of it."

"You're joking," Ron said. "What could be worse?"

Harry paused at this. Just thinking about what he was going to say made him feel angry. He took a deep, steadying breath.

"Well, Dumbledore said that I need training in physical combat to control this power and to be able to use it properly," he began. "He told me that there is only one person who would be able to teach me, and it's Snape."

"But --!"

"Doesn't he remember --?"

Neither Ron nor Hermione were able to finish their sentences. They merely shook their heads, looking dumbstruck.

"I know," Harry replied, obviously understanding what they were both thinking. "I mentioned the horrific attempts at Occlumency last year, but Dumbledore still insisted that I go through with these lessons since Snape is the only one who can do them. I _so _look forward to them." He glared darkly at the floor before him, his gaze murderous.

"But that's crazy!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes widening. "What if something similar happens this time? Then you will be left with no training and no idea on how to use the power! That could be dangerous if you try to use it when, you know..." She trailed off, obviously not wanting to mention Voldemort or the impending battle.

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but he realized that Hermione was not watching where she was going, her gaze being riveted on him. He reached out quickly and gripped her arm to steer her away from a suit of armor. She cried out in pain all of a sudden, which confused the raven-haired boy, since she had sidestepped the obstacle. He looked down, thinking that she may have stubbed her toe, but her foot was nowhere near the armor. He was just about to question her about the cry when she wrenched her arm from his grasp. His unasked question was then answered for him.

Right where he had gripped her arm, Harry saw an angry red mark in the exact shape of his hand. The skin was already blistering. The sight of the burn, the sound of his friend's whimpers of pain, and the knowledge that he was the cause sickened Harry. He stood rooted to the spot, his mind swimming and his stomach churning, unable to say anything.

"C'mon," Ron said in a low voice, breaking the tense silence. He cast Harry a questioning look before gingerly grabbing Hermione by her other arm. "Let's go to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey can heal this in a heartbeat." He started pulling her down the corridor, Harry following in their wake. He was still in disbelief, unable to comprehend that he had hurt her so.

_I'm a monster_, Harry thought miserably. _This power isn't a blessing that will help others; it is a curse that will only destroy_.

His mood continued to darken as they made their way to the hospital wing. By the time they reached the doors, Harry had just about convinced himself that he would never use his power, even if he were face-to-face with Voldemort and without a wand. He did not care about his survival, not if his use of the power could badly hurt, or worse, kill, those around him, those he cared for. If his touch alone could do this to a person, he was afraid to see what the power would do at its fullest extent. He would just have to refuse Snape's lessons, though he knew going against Dumbledore's wishes is not a smart idea.

The sound of a door creaking open startled Harry out of his musings.

"Back already?" Madam Pomfrey inquired. There was then a gasp when she caught sight of Hermione. "Oh my. Come on in, dear. I can heal that right up." Harry ignored the woman's questioning gaze as he followed the others into the wing.

Hermione sat down on one of the beds, cradling her arm, small whimpers still escaping through her clenched teeth. Madam Pomfrey bustled off to get what she needed. Harry looked down at his hands, clenching them into fists as his stomach continued to churn.

"It wasn't your fault, mate."

Harry's head jerked up. His redheaded friend looked sincere, but he still could not help feeling guilty. His shoulders slumped.

"Come on, Harry, buck up," Ron continued, patting his shoulder. "It's not like you knew that would happen when you touch someone. Madame Pomfrey will fix Hermione right up. It will be as if it never happened. There's nothing to worry about."

"I guess you're right," Harry mumbled. His gaze then turned toward his bushy-haired friend. "I really am sorry, Hermione. I would never intentionally hurt you. I had no idea. I promise it won't happen again. I will be really careful."

"It's okay, Harry," she replied. "It's nothing that can't be fixed. Now if you had hacked off my leg or something…"

The three friends burst out laughing, and Harry felt better for it. However, it was at that point that the mediwitch returned with a few potions and salves.

"I have just informed the headmaster," she said, leveling Harry with a piercing gaze. "He would like to see you immediately."

Harry's stomach fell to his toes. Was he in trouble? Was there any reason why he should be? This was not done intentionally, and he was sure both Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore knew that. So why --?

"I'll be back in a bit," Harry said to Ron and Hermione before turning to leave the hospital wing.

As he walked, a haze crept into Harry's mind. It obscured his thoughts from him, detaching every one as it formed in his brain. He was not able to formulate an argument properly, one that could save him from these lessons. Therefore, when he arrived at Dumbledore's office, Harry was a muddled mess. He made his way up the spiral stairs and inside without pausing to knock.

The headmaster was seated behind his cluttered desk, as always. He had an odd expression on his face, one that was a cross between serene and disturbed.

"Hello again, Harry," Dumbledore said in way of greeting. He motioned for Harry to sit down. The Gryffindor did so.

"Hello, sir," Harry answered, making sure to keep his voice polite. He sat up in his chair and gave the headmaster his undivided attention.

"I am troubled, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly. He stood up and paced the area behind his desk. "Madam Pomfrey has just informed me of what happened to Miss Granger. I feel that for the sake of your friends' wellbeing, and yours, that these lessons should begin right away."

Harry did not even have time to open his mouth and utter a syllable before the headmaster threw Floo powder into his fireplace.

"Professor Snape, if you would please join us," Dumbledore said into the green flames.

Harry's heart fell into his stomach. Right now, he wished he could bundle his innards together in order to keep them from jumping around without warning.

The Potions professor ducked out of the fireplace a few seconds later, pausing briefly to brush soot from his robes.

"Yes, headmaster?" he drawled. "This won't take long will it? I have an extremely unstable potion that needs to be watched very carefully brewing in my classroom."

"This won't take but a moment, Severus," Dumbledore said with a slight smile. He then motioned for the surly man to sit in the chair next to Harry's, one that had not been there a moment before. The headmaster cleared his throat before beginning to speak.

"We are in need of your training services sooner than expected, Severus," Dumbledore stated. "There has just been an occurrence involving young Mr. Potter here and his newfound power. Apparently, his touch alone was enough to send Miss Granger to the hospital wing with second-degree burns. If he is to gain any control over this power, his training should begin immediately."

"I see," Snape said stiffly, casting a blank gaze at Harry. "You always seem to find trouble for yourself, Potter. I suppose I have no choice but to help you now, before you hurt anyone else or burn down half the school." He ignored the glare from the Gryffindor, all the while looking like he would rather be off eating flobberworms. The professor hurriedly got to his feet and strode over to the fireplace. "Hurry up, Potter. I have to get back to --"

_BOOM!_

A very loud explosion shook the very foundation of the school. Distant shouts of surprise and fear could be heard. Snape growled under his breath and brought his hand up to cover his eyes, complaining about several wasted hours of work. Harry got to his feet without a word and stepped into the fireplace after his irate professor.

The Gryffindor thought his eyes were deceiving him when they finally focused after the transition. Everything in the room was covered in a glowing purple goop. The shattered remains of a cauldron were barely visible in the back corner of the classroom near the window.

A feral growl issued from the Potions professor as he took in the extent of the damage. Then he turned to face Harry.

"I think I have a great first lesson for you, Potter," he said. "It just so happens that this particular potion reacts well with heat. Fire will reduce it to a gas that evaporates in a matter of seconds. So not only will you be learning how to use your power, but my classroom will be cleaned in the process." A smirk tugged at the corners of the man's mouth. Harry scowled in response.

"We might as well start; the sooner we begin, the sooner we can part ways, and I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to that," Snape went on. "I would like to say one thing, however. I know nothing of this new power of yours. I do not know where the well of extra magic it uses stationed itself in your body. It may be in your mind, or it may be in your chest. It is your job to find it. The process will be the exact opposite of Legilimency. Instead of spreading your conscience outward, you will be looking inside yourself. Hopefully you can focus better this time around." The professor leveled a glare at his pupil. He then took out his wand and waved it without a word; Harry felt a ward surround him. At least Snape was taking safety precautions.

"Now close your eyes and cup your hands in front of you." Harry did so. "Empty your mind of all conscious thought. Gain a sense of self. Search your body for anything new. Start in your head and then move downwards. If you come across an obstacle, breach it gently. You have to remain in control."

Harry put all emotions aside. He erased any thought from his head and expanded his consciousness. It was a very odd experience to become suddenly aware of every little thing in his physical being. Harry sent his consciousness through his head first, but came across nothing. He then turned his focus downward and traveled through his neck and throat, all the while being careful and taking his time.

He knew the exact moment that he hit the barrier.

A dull red light flashed in his mind's eye when he reached his chest. His consciousness would move no further; it was like pressing up against a brick wall. He honed his mind into a sharp drill and continued probing until the barrier started giving way. It only took a few tries before the obstacle gave way and the power washed through him like a rip tide.

Harry's eyes flew open. He choked down a few lungfuls of air, his chest heaving. He realized sweat was pouring down his forehead and that his body felt ablaze. The raw power left him stunned. "I think I found it," he gasped.

"Good," Snape muttered. "Now cup your hands in front of you once more and try it again. This time, when you breach the barrier, create a channel for the power. That way it will remain in your control. Guide the channel toward your hands, and try to create a small ball of fire." Harry nodded and closed his eyes.

The second time was a bit easier. After crumbling the barrier, he envisioned a trench in front of the opening. He felt the rush of the power blaze a trail of heat through his chest and down his arms, ending at his hands. His palms and fingers throbbed dully with his heartbeat. In the back of his mind, he could hear the roar of flames.

"Open your eyes Potter."

Harry did so, very slowly. It took a second for them to focus, but when they did, he looked down. He felt triumph well up inside him when he saw the orb of fire floating above his outstretched palms. Since safety wards have been placed, Harry decided to experiment a little. With his eyes still open, the Gryffindor reached inside his chest toward the barrier. He probed at it a little more, resulting in a larger flow of magic. The orb in his hands grew larger and brighter. He then closed the barrier a little, creating a smaller channel and a smaller orb. The barrier was then sealed completely, and the ball of fire faded away. Harry smiled, thinking that using this power might not be too difficult after all; it is almost like working a faucet.

"Nice work." Snape actually showed a little approval at his pupil's accomplishment. "It looks as if you now understand the absolute basics. Now, instead of cupping your hands, hold one arm out in front of you, palm facing out. Create the channel once more, and have it end in that hand only. You will be moving around this time, so keep a tighter control. Keep your eyes open at all times and move your hand over any surface with potion stuck to it. Be careful, and don't make the flow of power too strong."

Harry nodded and began the process again.

- - -

He trudged back to the common room over an hour later, both his mind and his physical being drained of energy. Using his power continuously over that hour spent him greatly. Snape told him if he uses it more often, his stamina would build.

"So how did it go?" Hermione asked as soon as he had set foot into the common room.

"It actually wasn't too bad," Harry replied. He sighed inwardly; even his voice sounded tired. "It's going easier than I thought it would so far." The raven-haired boy smiled crookedly as he cupped his hands in front of him and almost effortlessly created a flame. It was gone before anyone else noticed. All the same, it got Hermione to squeal in pleasant surprise, and Ron chuckled.

"That's wicked, Harry," he said. "You're learning quickly."

Harry nodded in agreement. "I just have to get used to using it for long periods of time," he muttered with a yawn. "I think I'll have to skip dinner; snoring into my potatoes is not on my to-do list tonight."

"We understand, Harry," Hermione replied. "This is all new to you; it's bound to be tiring. We'll leave you a plate of food next to your bed with a warming charm on it in case you wake up hungry later tonight. Just make sure you work on some of your homework tomorrow." She tweaked his ear gently, and then gave him a hug. "It's good to know I can still do this. It's just your hands that are dangerous, in more ways than one." She pulled away, nothing but mirth shining in her brown eyes. Harry chuckled lightly.

"You make a good point," Harry muttered. "But you two go enjoy dinner. I will see you in the morning." His friends said their goodbyes as they made their way toward the portrait hole, and Harry stumbled up the stairs to the boys' dormitory and into his bed.

He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

- - -

_A bright light caused Harry to rouse. He sat up in bed, feeling somewhat confused. Isn't it still too early for full daylight? However, he soon realized that something about the light was odd; it had a flickering quality._

_An acrid scent met his nose a few seconds later. It smelled as if something were… burning._

_Panic flooded him. What's on fire? Is anyone hurt? He wrenched apart his bed hangings and prepared to launch himself off the mattress._

_Harry managed to catch himself just in time. A wall of flames surrounded the bed; they were just beginning to lick at the bottom of his hangings. His throat convulsed as a scream lodged itself somewhere around his Adam's apple. Where was his wand? Was there any other way he could put it out without it? Why hadn't he tried practicing wandless magic? He gripped the sheets in terror._

_A wave of heat rushed over his arms and the light grew brighter. Where his hands were clenched, the sheets caught fire. Harry jumped back against the headboard with a strangled yelp. Was he the cause of all this?_

_The fire danced enticingly in front of him, steadily moving closer. He was trapped. Would anyone hear him yell? Harry tried, but his voice box refused to cooperate._

_The fire reached his knees. There was nowhere else for him to move. A searing pain shot up his legs as his skin encountered the blazing heat. He thrashed madly, hoping for some way to put it out, to end the pain, but it was an empty hope. The scent of charred human flesh met Harry's nose, and his stomach shuddered in disgust._

I knew nothing good would come out of having this power.

_Harry clenched his jaw and leaned back against the headboard of what would soon be his fiery grave._

- - -

The Gryffindor's eyes flew open. He shot upright, his heart thudding painfully against his ribcage. The adrenaline rush from the nightmare left his head reeling. He lay back down slowly, willing his head to stay clear.

Where did that dream come from? It was a lot clearer and more realistic than the recurring nightmare he had over the summer. Was it just the product of his overactive imagination? He had thought he was just beginning to come to terms with his new power. Did he still have unconscious fears about it?

In order to feel better about it, Harry was going to have to ask some questions.

Still too shocked to fall asleep, he rolled over onto his side and stared out the window until the sun began to rise.

- - -

Thank you so much for reading.

To be continued...


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